Automatic control of image capture device display operation underwater

ABSTRACT

An image capture device may include a touchscreen display, which may be used to receive user input. The image capture device may determine whether it is under water based on analysis of visual content captured by the image capture device. Responsive to determination that it is under water, the image capture device may change operation with respect to the touchscreen display.

FIELD

This disclosure relates to automatically controlling operation of atouchscreen display of an image capture device based on underwaterlocation of the image capture device.

BACKGROUND

A touchscreen display of an image capture device may be used to receiveuser input. When the image capture device is immersed in water, water onthe touchscreen display may cause the touchscreen display to registerfalse touches, which may cause unwanted operation of the image capturedevice.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to automatic control of image capture devicedisplay operation underwater. An image capture device may include ahousing. The housing may carry one or more of an image sensor, anoptical element, a touchscreen display, and/or other components. Theoptical element may guide light within a field of view to the imagesensor. The image sensor may generate a visual output signal conveyingvisual information defining visual content based on light that becomesincident thereon. The touchscreen display may be configured to receiveuser input via a user's engagement with the touchscreen display.

The visual content may be captured during a capture duration. Whetherthe image capture device is under water during the capture duration maybe determined based on analysis of the visual content and/or otherinformation. Responsive to determination that the image capture deviceis under water during the capture duration, operation of the imagecapture device with respect to the touchscreen display may be changed.

An electronic storage may store visual information defining visualcontent, information relating to visual content, information relating toanalysis of visual content, information relating to touchscreen display,information relating to operation of the image capture device withrespect to the touchscreen display, and/or other information.

The housing may carry one or more components of the image capturedevice. The housing may carry (be attached to, support, hold, and/orotherwise carry) one or more of an image sensor, an optical element, atouchscreen display, a processor, an electronic storage, and/or othercomponents.

The image sensor may be configured to generate a visual output signaland/or other output signals based on light that becomes incident thereonand/or other information. The visual output signal may convey visualinformation and/or other information. The visual information may definevisual content.

The optical element may be configured to guide light within a field ofview to the image sensor. The field of view may be less than 180degrees. The field of view may be equal to 180 degrees. The field ofview may be greater than 180 degrees.

The touchscreen display may be configured to receive user input via auser's engagement with the touchscreen display.

The processor(s) may be configured by machine-readable instructions.Executing the machine-readable instructions may cause the processor(s)to facilitate automatic control of image capture device displayoperation underwater. The machine-readable instructions may include oneor more computer program components. The computer program components mayinclude one or more of a capture component, an underwater component, anoperation component, and/or other computer program components.

The capture component may be configured to capture the visual content.The visual content may be captured during one or more capture durations.

The underwater component may be configured to determine whether theimage capture device is under water during the capture duration(s).Location of the image capture device under water may be determined basedon analysis of the visual content and/or the information.

In some implementations, the analysis of the visual content to determinewhether the image capture device is under water during the captureduration(s) may include analysis of color components in the visualcontent. In some implementations, the analysis of the color componentsin the visual content may include comparison of a green component in thevisual content to a blue component in the visual content, comparison ofthe green component in the visual content to a red component in thevisual content, and/or other comparison of color components in thevisual content. In some implementations, the analysis of the visualcontent to determine whether the image capture device is under waterduring the capture duration(s) may include scene classification todetermine whether the visual content includes depiction of one or moreunderwater scenes.

The operation component may be configured to change operation of theimage capture device. The operation component may be configured tochange operation of the image capture device based on whether or not theimage capture device is under water during the capture duration(s). Theoperation component may be configured to change operation of the imagecapture device with respect to the touchscreen display based on whetheror not the image capture device is under water during the captureduration(s). The operation of the image capture device with respect tothe touchscreen display may be changed responsive to determination thatthe image capture device is under water during the capture duration(s).In some implementations, the change to the operation of the imagecapture device with respect to the touchscreen display may be reversedresponsive to determination that the image capture device is no longerunder water.

In some implementations, the operation of the image capture device withrespect to the touchscreen display may be changed to deactivate thetouchscreen display. In some implementations, the operation of the imagecapture device with respect to the touchscreen display may be changed tomodify options presented on the touchscreen display.

In some implementations, the operation of the image capture device withrespect to the touchscreen display may be changed to modify sensitivityof the touchscreen display in receiving the user input via the user'sengagement with the touchscreen display. In some implementations, thesensitivity of the touchscreen display may be changed to require greaterforce of the user's engagement with the touchscreen display to receivethe user input. In some implementations, the sensitivity of thetouchscreen display may be changed to require longer duration of theuser's engagement with the touchscreen display to receive the userinput.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the systemand/or method disclosed herein, as well as the methods of operation andfunctions of the related elements of structure and the combination ofparts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent uponconsideration of the following description and the appended claims withreference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of thisspecification, wherein like reference numerals designate correspondingparts in the various figures. It is to be expressly understood, however,that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and descriptiononly and are not intended as a definition of the limits of theinvention. As used in the specification and in the claims, the singularform of “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system that automatically controls imagecapture device display operation underwater.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example method for automatically controlling imagecapture device display operation underwater.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example image capture device.

FIG. 4 illustrates example color component ratios of visual content.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D illustrate example options presented on atouchscreen display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 10 for automatically controlling imagecapture device display operation underwater. The system 10 may includeone or more of a processor 11, an interface 12 (e.g., bus, wirelessinterface), an electronic storage 13, an optical element 14, an imagesensor 15, a touchscreen display 16, and/or other components. The system10 may include and/or be part of an image capture device. The imagecapture device may include a housing, and one or more of the opticalelement 14, the image sensor 15, the touchscreen display 16, and/orother components of the system 10 may be carried by the housing of theimage capture device. The optical element 14 may guide light within afield of view to the image sensor 15. The image sensor 15 may generate avisual output signal conveying visual information defining visualcontent based on light that becomes incident thereon. The touchscreendisplay 16 may be configured to receive user input via a user'sengagement with the touchscreen display 16.

The processor 11 may capture visual content during a capture duration.Whether the image capture device is under water during the captureduration may be determined by the processor 11 based on analysis of thevisual content and/or other information. Responsive to determinationthat the image capture device is under water during the captureduration, operation of the image capture device with respect to thetouchscreen display may be changed by the processor 11.

The electronic storage 13 may be configured to include electronicstorage medium that electronically stores information. The electronicstorage 13 may store software algorithms, information determined by theprocessor 11, information received remotely, and/or other informationthat enables the system 10 to function properly. For example, theelectronic storage 13 may store visual information defining visualcontent, information relating to visual content, information relating toanalysis of visual content, information relating to touchscreen display,information relating to operation of the image capture device withrespect to the touchscreen display, and/or other information.

Visual content may refer to content of image(s), video frame(s), and/orvideo(s) that may be consumed visually. For example, visual content maybe included within one or more images and/or one or more video frames ofa video. The video frame(s) may define/contain the visual content of thevideo. That is, video may include video frame(s) that define/contain thevisual content of the video. Video frame(s) may define/contain visualcontent viewable as a function of progress through the progress lengthof the video content. A video frame may include an image of the videocontent at a moment within the progress length of the video. As usedherein, term video frame may be used to refer to one or more of an imageframe, frame of pixels, encoded frame (e.g., I-frame, P-frame, B-frame),and/or other types of video frame. Visual content may be generated basedon light received within a field of view of a single image sensor orwithin fields of view of multiple image sensors.

Visual content (of image(s), of video frame(s), of video(s)) with afield of view may be captured by an image capture device during acapture duration. A field of view of visual content may define a fieldof view of a scene captured within the visual content. A captureduration may be measured/defined in terms of time durations and/or framenumbers. For example, visual content may be captured during a captureduration of 60 seconds, and/or from one point in time to another pointin time. As another example, 1800 images may be captured during acapture duration. If the images are captured at 30 images/second, thenthe capture duration may correspond to 60 seconds. Other capturedurations are contemplated.

Visual content may be stored in one or more formats and/or one or morecontainers. A format may refer to one or more ways in which theinformation defining visual content is arranged/laid out (e.g., fileformat). A container may refer to one or more ways in which informationdefining visual content is arranged/laid out in association with otherinformation (e.g., wrapper format). Information defining visual content(visual information) may be stored within a single file or multiplefiles. For example, visual information defining an image or video framesof a video may be stored within a single file (e.g., image file, videofile), multiple files (e.g., multiple image files, multiple videofiles), a combination of different files, and/or other files.

The system 10 may be remote from the image capture device or local tothe image capture device. One or more portions of the image capturedevice may be remote from or a part of the system 10. One or moreportions of the system 10 may be remote from or a part of the imagecapture device. For example, one or more components of the system 10 maybe carried by a housing, such as a housing of an image capture device.For instance, the optical element 14, the image sensor 15, and/or thetouchscreen display 16 of the system 10 may be carried by the housing ofthe image capture device.

An image capture device may refer to a device captures visual content.An image capture device may capture visual content in form of images,videos, and/or other forms. An image capture device may refer to adevice for recording visual information in the form of images, videos,and/or other media. An image capture device may be a standalone device(e.g., camera, action camera, image sensor) or may be part of anotherdevice (e.g., part of a smartphone, tablet).

FIG. 3 illustrates an example image capture device 302. Visual content(e.g., of image(s), video frame(s)) may be captured by the image capturedevice 302. The image capture device 302 may include a housing 312. Thehousing 312 may refer a device (e.g., casing, shell) that covers,protects, and/or supports one or more components of the image capturedevice 302. The housing 312 may include a single-piece housing or amulti-piece housing. The housing 312 may carry one or more components ofthe image capture device 302. The housing 312 may carry (be attached to,support, hold, and/or otherwise carry) one or more of an optical element304, an image sensor 306, a touchscreen display 308, a processor 310,and/or other components. In some implementations, the housing 312 maycarry multiple image sensors and multiple optical elements. Multipleimage sensors and multiple optical elements may be used to capturespherical visual content. In some implementations, the housing 312 maycarry multiple displays (e.g., multiple touchscreen display). Forexample, a touchscreen display may be carried on a rear side of thehousing 312 and a touchscreen display may be carried on a front side ofthe housing 312. Change in operation of the touchscreen displaydescribed herein based on the image capture device being located underwater may be applied to one or multiples of the display.

One or more components of the image capture device may be the same as,be similar to, and/or correspond to one or more components of the system10. For example, the processor 310 may be the same as, be similar to,and/or correspond to the processor 11. The optical element 304 may bethe same as, be similar to, and/or correspond to the optical element 14.The image sensor 306 may be the same as, be similar to, and/orcorrespond to the image sensor 15. The touchscreen display 308 may bethe same as, be similar to, and/or correspond to the touchscreen display16. The housing 312 may carry other components, such as the electronicstorage 13. The image capture device may include other components notshown in FIG. 3 . The image capture device may not include one or morecomponents shown in FIG. 3 . Other configurations of image capturedevices are contemplated.

An optical element may include instrument(s), tool(s), and/or mediumthat acts upon light passing through the instrument(s)/tool(s)/medium.For example, an optical element may include one or more of lens, mirror,prism, and/or other optical elements. An optical element may affectdirection, deviation, and/or path of the light passing through theoptical element. An optical element may have a field of view (e.g.,field of view 305 shown in FIG. 3 ). The optical element may beconfigured to guide light within the field of view (e.g., the field ofview 305) to an image sensor (e.g., the image sensor 306).

The field of view may include the field of view of a scene that iswithin the field of view of the optical element and/or the field of viewof the scene that is delivered to the image sensor. For example,referring to FIG. 3 , the optical element 304 may guide light within itsfield of view to the image sensor 306 or may guide light within aportion of its field of view to the image sensor 306. The field of viewof 305 of the optical element 304 may refer to the extent of theobservable world that is seen through the optical element 304. The fieldof view 305 of the optical element 304 may include one or more angles(e.g., vertical angle, horizontal angle, diagonal angle) at which lightis received and passed on by the optical element 304 to the image sensor306. In some implementations, the field of view 305 may be greater than180-degrees. In some implementations, the field of view 305 may be lessthan 180-degrees. In some implementations, the field of view 305 may beequal to 180-degrees.

In some implementations, the image capture device may include multipleoptical elements. The image capture device may include multiple opticalelements that are arranged on the housing to capture sphericalimages/videos (guide light within spherical field of view to one or moreimages sensors). For instance, the image capture device may include twooptical elements positioned on opposing sides of the housing 362. Thefields of views of the optical elements may overlap and enable captureof spherical images and/or spherical videos.

An image sensor may include sensor(s) that converts received light intooutput signals. The output signals may include electrical signals. Theimage sensor may generate output signals conveying visual informationthat defines visual content of one or more images and/or one or morevideo frames of a video. For example, the image sensor may include oneor more of a charge-coupled device sensor, an active pixel sensor, acomplementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor, an N-typemetal-oxide-semiconductor sensor, and/or other image sensors.

The image sensor may be configured generate output signals conveyinginformation that defines visual content of one or more images and/or oneor more video frames of a video. The image sensor may be configured togenerate a visual output signal based on light that becomes incidentthereon during a capture duration and/or other information. The visualoutput signal may convey visual information that defines visual contenthaving the field of view. For example, referring to FIG. 3 , the opticalelement 304 may be configured to guide light within the field of view305 to the image sensor 306, and the image sensor 306 may be configuredto generate visual output signals conveying visual information based onlight that becomes incident thereon via the optical element 304.

The visual information may define visual content by includinginformation that defines one or more content, qualities, attributes,features, and/or other aspects of the visual content. For example, thevisual information may define visual content of an image by includinginformation that makes up the content of the image, and/or informationthat is used to determine the content of the image. For instance, thevisual information may include information that makes up and/or is usedto determine the arrangement of pixels, characteristics of pixels,values of pixels, and/or other aspects of pixels that define visualcontent of the image. For example, the visual information may includeinformation that makes up and/or is used to determine pixels of theimage. Other types of visual information are contemplated.

Capture of visual content by the image sensor may include conversion oflight received by the image sensor into output signals/visualinformation defining visual content. Capturing visual content mayinclude recording, storing, and/or otherwise capturing the visualcontent for use in previewing and/or generating video content (e.g.,content of video frames). For example, during a capture duration, thevisual output signal generated by the image sensor 306 and/or the visualinformation conveyed by the visual output signal may be used to record,store, and/or otherwise capture the visual content for use in previewingand/or generating video content.

In some implementations, the image capture device may include multipleimage sensors. For example, the image capture device may includemultiple image sensors carried by the housing to capture sphericalimages/videos based on light guided thereto by multiple opticalelements. For instance, the image capture device may include two imagesensors configured to receive light from two optical elements positionedon opposing sides of the housing.

A touchscreen display may refer to an electronic device that providesvisual presentation of information. The touchscreen display may includea color display and/or a non-color display. The touchscreen display maybe configured to visually present information. The touchscreen displaymay be configured to present visual content, user interface, and/orother information. User interface (graphical user interface) may includea graphical form that enables a user to interact with the image capturedevice and/or see information provided by the image capture device. Forexample, referring to FIG. 3 , the touchscreen display 308 may presentuser interface that enables a user to interact with the image capturedevice 302 (e.g., change setting of the image capture device, cause theimage capture device to capture visual content), preview of visualcontent being captured by the image capture device 302 (e.g., preview ofvisual content before and/or during recording), visual content that hasbeen captured by the image capture device 302, and/or other informationfor the image capture device 302.

The touchscreen display may be configured to receive user input via auser's engagement with the touchscreen display. A user may engage withthe touchscreen display via interaction with one or more touch-sensitivesurfaces/screens and/or other components of the touchscreen display. Thetouchscreen display may be configured to receive user input to changeoperation of the image capture device (e.g., change setting, startrecording, stop recording). For example, referring to FIG. 3 , thetouchscreen display 308 may present one or more options for a user toprovide input to the image capture device 302, such as by presenting oneor more virtual/soft buttons. The user may change operation of the imagecapture device 302 by engaging one or more fingers on the location ofthe touchscreen display 308 corresponding to the virtual/soft button(s).The touchscreen display 308 may be configured to generate output signalsindicating location of the user's engagement with the touchscreendisplay 308. User input (to change operation of the image capturedevice) may be received/determined based on the output signals generatedby the touchscreen display 308.

The touchscreen display may include one or more touch-sensitive screensand/or other components. A user may engage with the touchscreen displayby touching one or more portions of a touch-sensitive screen (e.g., withone or more fingers, stylus). A user may engage with the touchscreendisplay at a moment in time, at multiple moments in time, during aperiod, and/or during multiple periods. For example, a user may tap on,hold, or move along the touchscreen display to provide input to theimage capture device. For example, a user may tap on and/or hold afinger on a portion of the touchscreen display corresponding to avirtual/soft button to provide input to the image capture device.

A processor may include one or more processors (logic circuitry) thatprovide information processing capabilities in the image capture device.The processor may provide one or more computing functions for the imagecapture device. The processor may operate/send command signals to one ormore components of the image capture device to operate the image capturedevice. For example, referring to FIG. 3 , the processor 310 mayfacilitate operation of the image capture device 302 in capturingimage(s) and/or video(s), facilitate operation of the optical element304 (e.g., change how light is guided by the optical element 304),and/or facilitate operation of the image sensor 306 (e.g., change howthe received light is converted into information that definesimages/videos and/or how the images/videos are post-processed aftercapture).

The processor 310 may obtain information from the image sensor 306and/or facilitate transfer of information from the image sensor 306 toanother device/component. The processor 310 may be remote from theprocessor 11 or local to the processor 11. One or more portions of theprocessor 310 may be remote from the processor 11 and/or one or moreportions of the processor 10 may be part of the processor 310. Theprocessor 310 may include and/or perform one or more functionalities ofthe processor 11 shown in FIG. 1 .

The image capture device 302 may automatically control its operationbased on whether or not it is under water. For example, the imagecapture device 302 may determine whether it is located under water ornot based on analysis of visual content captured by the image capturedevice 302. Water on the touchscreen display 308 may cause false touchesto be registered by the touchscreen display 308/the image capture device302. For example, pressure of water on the touchscreen display 308 maygenerate force on the touchscreen display 308 and cause the imagecapture device 302 to interpret water force as user input. Such falsetouches may cause unwanted changes in the operation of the image capturedevice (e.g., unwanted change setting of the image capture device,unwanted change in mode of the image capture device, unwanted start/stopin capture of visual content)

Operation of the touchscreen display 308 may be automatically controlledbased on determination that the image capture device 302 is under waterso that false touches from water are not registered by the image capturedevice 302/the touchscreen display 308. For example, responsive todetermination that the image capture device 302 is under water, theoperation of the touchscreen display 308 may be changed to deactivatethe touchscreen display 308 (e.g., turn off the touchscreen display 308,lock the touchscreen display 308 so that it does not register input). Asanother example, responsive to determination that the image capturedevice 302 is under water, the operation of the touchscreen display 308may be changed to modify the sensitivity of the touchscreen display 308(e.g., require greater force of user's engagement with the touchscreendisplay 308 to receive user input, require longer duration of user'sengagement with the touchscreen display 308 to receive user input. Asyet another example, responsive to determination that the image capturedevice 302 is under water, the operation of the touchscreen display 308may be changed to modify options that are presented on the touchscreendisplay 308 (e.g., change layout of virtual/soft button(s) presented,change number and/or type of virtual/soft button(s) presented). Thus,the image capture device 302 may perform automatic control of thetouchscreen display 308 in underwater environment (e.g., automaticscreen lock in underwater environment).

In some implementations, automatic control of image capture deviceoperation may be reversed based on determination that the image capturedevice 302 has been removed from water. For example, the operation ofthe touchscreen display 308 may have been changed based on the imagecapture device 302 detecting that it is under water (from analysis ofvisual content captured by the image capture device 302). Responsive todetermination that the image capture device 302 is no longer under water(e.g., from analysis of visual content captured by the image capturedevice 302, from user input indicating that the image capture device 302is not in water), the change(s) to the operation of the touchscreendisplay 308 may be reversed (e.g., restored to operation prior to theautomatic change caused by underwater location of the image capturedevice 308).

Referring back to FIG. 1 , the processor 11 (or one or more componentsof the processor 11) may be configured to obtain information tofacilitate automatic control of image capture device display operationunderwater. Obtaining information may include one or more of accessing,acquiring, analyzing, determining, examining, identifying, loading,locating, opening, receiving, retrieving, reviewing, selecting, storing,and/or otherwise obtaining the information. The processor 11 may obtaininformation from one or more locations. For example, the processor 11may obtain information from a storage location, such as the electronicstorage 13, electronic storage of information and/or signals generatedby one or more sensors, electronic storage of a device accessible via anetwork, and/or other locations. The processor 11 may obtain informationfrom one or more hardware components (e.g., an image sensor) and/or oneor more software components (e.g., software running on a computingdevice).

The processor 11 may be configured to provide information processingcapabilities in the system 10. As such, the processor 11 may compriseone or more of a digital processor, an analog processor, a digitalcircuit designed to process information, a central processing unit, agraphics processing unit, a microcontroller, an analog circuit designedto process information, a state machine, and/or other mechanisms forelectronically processing information. The processor 11 may beconfigured to execute one or more machine-readable instructions 100 tofacilitate automatic control of image capture device display operationunderwater. The machine-readable instructions 100 may include one ormore computer program components. The machine-readable instructions 100may include one or more of a capture component 102, an underwatercomponent 104, an operation component 106, and/or other computer programcomponents.

The capture component 102 may be configured to capture the visualcontent. The visual content may be captured during one or more capturedurations. A capture duration may refer to a time duration in whichvisual content is captured. The visual content may be captured using oneor more image sensors (e.g., the image sensor 15). The visual contentmay be captured using light guided to the image sensor(s) via one ormore optical elements (e.g., the optical element 14). For example,referring to FIG. A, the visual content may be captured using the imagesensor 306. The visual content may be captured using light guided to theimage sensor 306 via the optical element 304.

Capturing visual content during a capture duration may include using,recording, storing, and/or otherwise capturing the visual content duringthe capture duration. For instance, visual content may be captured whilethe image capture device is operating in a record mode (e.g., videorecording mode, image capture mode) and/or operating in a preview mode(e.g., showing preview of visual content to be captured on a display).The visual content may be captured for use in generating images and/orvideo frames. The images/video frames may be stored in electronicstorage and/or deleted after use (e.g., after preview). The visualcontent may be captured for use in determining whether or not the imagecapture device is under water.

For example, during a capture duration, the capture component 102 mayuse the visual output signal generated by the image sensor 15 and/or thevisual information conveyed by the visual output signal to record,store, and/or otherwise capture the visual content. For instance, thecapture component 102 may store, in the electronic storage 13 and/orother (permanent and/or temporary) electronic storage medium,information (e.g., the visual information) defining the visual contentbased on the visual output signal generated by the image sensor 15and/or the visual information conveyed by the visual output signalduring the capture duration. In some implementations, informationdefining the captured visual content may be stored in one or more visualtracks. In some implementations, the information defining the visualcontent may be discarded. For instance, the visual information definingthe visual content may be temporarily stored (e.g., in a buffer) for usein determining whether or not the image capture device is under water,and the visual information may be deleted after the determination.

The underwater component 104 may be configured to determine whether ornot the image capture device is under water during the captureduration(s). Whether or not the image capture device is located underwater may be determined based on analysis of the visual content capturedby the image capture device and/or the information. That is, the visualcontent captured by the capture component 102 may be analyzed todetermine whether or not the image capture device is located underwater. Analysis of the visual content may include examination,evaluation, processing, studying, and/or other analysis of the visualcontent. For example, analysis of the visual content may includeexamination, evaluation, processing, studying, and/or other analysis ofone or more visual features/characteristics of the visual content.Analysis of the visual content may include analysis of visual content ofa single image and/or analysis of visual content of multiple images. Forexample, visual features and/or visual characteristics of a single imagemay be analyzed to determine whether or not the image capture device islocated under water. Visual features and/or visual characteristics ofmultiple images (e.g., captured at different moment, captured over aduration of time) may be analyzed to determine whether or not the imagecapture device is located under water.

In some implementations, the analysis of the visual content to determinewhether the image capture device is under water during the captureduration(s) may include analysis of color components in the visualcontent. A color component may refer to a color in a color space. Forexample, in an RGB color space, color comments may include redcomponent, green component, and blue component. Use of other colorspace/color components are contemplated. Analysis of color components inthe visual content may include determination of amount/intensities ofdifferent color components in the visual content. For example, for animage, analysis of color component may include determination of how muchred, greed, and blue are included within the image (e.g., pixel valuesin red channel, pixel values in green channel, pixel values in bluechannel,). In some implementations, the analysis of the visual contentmay be performed on a lower resolution version of the visual content(e.g., thumbnail). Computing color statistics on the lower resolutionversion of the visual content may provide for resource savings (e.g.,lower consumption of power, lower processing requirement).

In some implementations, the analysis of the color components in thevisual content may include comparison of different color components inthe visual content. For example, analysis of the color components in thevisual content may include comparison of a green component in the visualcontent to a blue component in the visual content (ratio of green toblue), comparison of the green component in the visual content to a redcomponent in the visual content (ratio of green to red), and/or othercomparison of color components in the visual content. Thecomparison/ratio of color components may be used to determine whether ornot the image capture device is under water (e.g., the image capturedevice was under water when it captured the visual content).

In some implementations, specific ratios of color components mayindicate that the visual content depicts an underwater scene. That is,specific ratios of color components may indicate that the visual contentwas captured by an image capture device while under water. FIG. 4illustrates example color component ratios of visual content. In FIG. 4, different ratios of green-to-blue are shown along x-axis whiledifferent ratio of green-to-red are shown along y-axis. Particularregions of color ratios may indicate that the visual content depicts anunderwater scene. A region of a color ratio may be defined by a lowerlimit (lower threshold), an upper limit (upper threshold), and/or otherlimits. For example, in FIG. 4 , a region of green-to-blue ratio 402 maybe defined by both a lower limit and an upper limit while a region ofgreen-to-red ratio 404 may be defined by a lower limit. Visual contentmay be identified as depicting an underwater scene based on the colorratios of the visual content falling within one or more of the regionsof color ratios. For example, for visual content to be identified asdepicting an underwater scene, the color ratios of the visual contentmay need to fall within the region 402, the region 404, or both theregion 402 and the region 404 (overlap region 406). Otherlimits/thresholds are contemplated.

In some implementations, the analysis of the visual content to determinewhether the image capture device is under water during the captureduration(s) may include scene classification to determine whether thevisual content includes depiction of one or more underwater scenes. Oneor more scene classification techniques (e.g., deep learning technique)may be used to determine probability that the visual content depictsunderwater scene(s), and the probability may be used to determinewhether or not the image capture device is under water. For example, athreshold probability value may be used, and the visual content may beidentified as depicting an underwater scene if the probability value isgreater than or equal to the threshold probability value. In someimplementations, the scene classification may be used independently ofthe color-ratio analysis to determine whether or not the image capturedevice is under water. In some implementation, the scene classificationmay be used in conjunction with the color-ratio analysis to determinewhether or not the image capture device is under water.

In some implementations, temporal smoothing may be applied todetermination of whether or not the image capture device is under water.Temporal smoothing may include smoothing/modification of anunderwater/non-underwater determination for a duration of time based onprevious and/or subsequent determination. For example, capture durationan image may be a fraction of a second. Temporal smoothing may requirethe determination of whether or not the image capture device is underwater to be consistent for a threshold amount of time (e.g., same forthe entire threshold amount of time, same for more than a certainpercentage of the threshold amount of time) before the determination isused to change operation of the image capture device. Temporal smoothingmay use the same threshold amount of time or different threshold amountsof time for (1) determination that the image capture device is underwater, and (2) determination that the image capture device is not underwater. Temporal smoothing may use the same threshold amount of time ordifferent threshold amounts of time for (1) determination that thelocation of the image capture device has changed from being under waterto out of water, and (2) determination that the location of the imagecapture device has changed from being out of water to being under water.

For example, temporal smoothing may require consistent determinationthat the image capture device is under water for an amount of timebefore the status of the image capture device switches from being notunder water to being under water. Temporal smoothing may requireconsistent determination that the image capture device is under waterfor a longer amount of time before the status of the image capturedevice switches from under water to not being under water. Suchasymmetrical change in status of the image capture device may enable theoperation of the image capture device to remain the same when the imagecapture device momentarily comes out of the water. Such asymmetricalchange in status of the image capture device may enable the operation ofthe image capture device to remain the same for a duration of time afterthe image capture device comes out of water (e.g., to allow waterresidue on the touchscreen display, which may causing false touches, torun off and/or dry off).

In some implementations, change in status of the image capture devicefrom being under water to not being under may require user input. Forexample, the image capture device may require the user to provide inputthat the image capture device is no longer under water. That is, whilethe image capture device may automatically detect when it is placedunder water, the image capture device may need to be prompted by theuser to change its status from being under water to no longer beingunder water. As another example, the image capture device may requirethe user to confirm the determination that the image capture device isno longer under water.

The operation component 106 may be configured to control operation ofthe image capture device. Controlling operation of the image capturedevice may include changing operation of the image capture device. Forexample, the operation component 106 may be configured to changeoperation of the image capture device based on whether or not the imagecapture device is under water during the capture duration(s). Change inoperation of the image capture device may include change in operationwith respect to one or more components of the image capture device. Forexample, the operation component 106 may be configured to changeoperation of the image capture device with respect to the touchscreendisplay 16 based on whether or not the image capture device is underwater during the capture duration(s). Operation with respect to thetouchscreen display 16 may include operation that impacts how thetouchscreen display 16 operates. The operation of the image capturedevice with respect to the touchscreen display 16 may be changedresponsive to determination that the image capture device is under waterduring the capture duration(s). That is, how the touchscreen display 16operates may be changed based on determination by the underwatercomponent 104 that the image capture device was under water when itcaptured the visual content. Other changes in operation of the imagecapture device are contemplated.

In some implementations, change(s) to the operation of the image capturedevice made by the operation component 106 responsive to determinationthat the image capture device being under water may be reversedresponsive to determination that the image capture device is no longerunder water. The operation of the image capture device may be restoredto its default state and/or to its state before the change made by theoperation component 106 (e.g., go back to the state of operation beforethe operate changed). For example, the change to the operation of theimage capture device with respect to the touchscreen display 16 may bereversed responsive to determination that the image capture device is nolonger under water. For instance, the touchscreen display 16 may beautomatically locked when the underwater component 104 detects that theimage capture device is under water, and the touchscreen display 16 maybe automatically unlocked when the underwater component 104 detects thatthe image capture device has come out of water.

In some implementations, change(s) to the operation of the image capturedevice may be allowed to be made by the operation component 106 furtherbased on user activating an auto-underwater-operation change option. Forexample, a setting of the image capture may include theauto-underwater-operation change option that, when enabled, allows theimage capture device to automatically change operation based on whetherthe image capture device is or is not under water.

Operation of the image capture device with respect to the touchscreendisplay 16 may refer to one or more ways in which the image capturedevice operates the touchscreen display 16. Changing the operation ofthe image capture device with respect to the touchscreen display 16 mayresult in changes in the functioning of the touchscreen display 16.

In some implementations, responsive to determination that the imagecapture device is under water during the capture duration(s), theoperation of the image capture device with respect to the touchscreendisplay 16 may be changed to deactivate the touchscreen display 16.Deactivating the touchscreen display 16 may include turning off thetouchscreen display 16, turning off touch inputs from the touchscreendisplay 16 (locking the touchscreen display 16 so that inputs are nolonger registered on the touchscreen display), changing type ofinformation presented on the touchscreen display 16, and/or otherwisedeactivating the touchscreen display 16.

In some implementations, responsive to determination that the imagecapture device is under water during the capture duration(s), theoperation of the image capture device with respect to the touchscreendisplay 16 may be changed to modify options presented on the touchscreendisplay 16. Modifying options presented on the touchscreen display 16may include modifying layout of virtual/soft button(s) presented on thetouchscreen display 16 (e.g., where buttons are positioned; size, shape,and/or color of buttons), modifying number of virtual/soft button(s)presented on the touchscreen display 16 (e.g., reducing the number ofbuttons, increasing the number of buttons), modifying the type ofvirtual/soft button(s) presented on the touchscreen display 16 (e.g.,changing which shortcuts/command buttons are presented), and/orotherwise modifying the options presented on the touchscreen display 16.

FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, and 5D illustrate example options presented on atouchscreen display 500 of an image capture device. The options mayallow a user to provide input to the image capture device. The optionsmay be provided as one or more virtual/soft buttons. The user may changeoperation of the image capture device by engaging one or more fingers onthe location of the touchscreen display corresponding to thevirtual/soft button(s). In FIG. 5A, the touchscreen display 500 maypresent buttons 502, 504, 506, 508. Individual buttons 502, 504, 506,508 may be engaged by the user to activate the corresponding option. InFIG. 5B, the touchscreen display 500 may present buttons 512, 514. Thebuttons 512, 514 may have the same functionality as one or more of thebuttons 502, 504, 506, 508 shown in FIG. 5A, or may have differentfunctionality from the buttons 502, 504, 506, 508. The buttons presentedon the touchscreen display 500 may change based on whether the imagecapture device is or is not located under water. For example, thetouchscreen display 500 may present four buttons as shown in FIG. 5Awhile the image capture device is determined to be not under water, andmay change to present two buttons as shown in FIG. 5B when the imagecapture device is determined to be under water. Compared to when theimage capture device is not under water, fewer buttons may be presented(and provide fewer options) when the image capture device is underwater.

As another example, the touchscreen display 500 may present two buttonsas shown in FIG. 5B while the image capture device is determined to benot under water, and may change to present four buttons as shown in FIG.5A when the image capture device is determined to be under water.Compared to when the image capture device is not under water, morebuttons may be presented (and provide fewer options) when the imagecapture device is under water.

In FIG. 5C, the touchscreen display 500 may present buttons 522, 524.The buttons 522, 524 may have the same functionality as one or more ofthe buttons 512, 514 shown in FIG. 5B, or may have differentfunctionality from the buttons 512, 514. The buttons presented on thetouchscreen display 500 may change based on whether the image capturedevice is or is not located under water. For example, the touchscreendisplay 500 may present two circular buttons as shown in FIG. 5B whilethe image capture device is determined to be not under water, and maychange to present two square buttons as shown in FIG. 5C when the imagecapture device is determined to be under water, or vice versa. The shapeand/or size of the buttons may be changed to provide larger areas inwhich the user may interact with the touchscreen display 500 to provideinput when the image capture device is under water.

In FIG. 5D, the touchscreen display 500 may present buttons 532, 534.The buttons 532, 534 may have the same functionality as one or more ofthe buttons 512, 514 shown in FIG. 5B, or may have differentfunctionality from the buttons 512, 514. The buttons presented on thetouchscreen display 500 may change based on whether the image capturedevice is or is not located under water. For example, the touchscreendisplay 500 may present two circular buttons as shown in FIG. 5B whilethe image capture device is determined to be not under water, and maychange to present two square buttons as shown in FIG. 5D when the imagecapture device is determined to be under water, or vice versa. The shapeand/or size of the buttons may be changed to provide smaller areas inwhich the user may interact with the touchscreen display 500 to provideinput when the image capture device is under water. Other changes inbuttons are contemplated.

In some implementations, responsive to determination that the imagecapture device is under water during the capture duration(s), theoperation of the image capture device with respect to the touchscreendisplay 16 may be changed to modify sensitivity of the touchscreendisplay 16. The sensitivity of the touchscreen display 16 in receivingthe user input via the user's engagement with the touchscreen display 16may be changed. Sensitivity of the touchscreen display 16 may refer tohow sensitive the touchscreen display 16 is in detecting engagement withthe touchscreen display and/or how sensitive the touchscreen display 16is in interpreting engagement with the touchscreen display as input tothe image capture device.

In some implementations, the sensitivity of the touchscreen display 16may be changed to require greater force of the user's engagement withthe touchscreen display 16 to receive the user input. The amount offorce that must be detected by the touchscreen display 16 to beinterpreted as engagement of the touchscreen display 16 and/or to beinterpreted as input to the image capture device may be increasedcompared to when the image capture device is not in water. Thus,sensitivity of the touchscreen display 16 may be decreased while theimage capture device is under water.

In some implementations, the sensitivity of the touchscreen display 16may be changed to require longer duration of the user's engagement withthe touchscreen display 16 to receive the user input. The duration withwhich force must be detected at a location on the touchscreen display 16to be interpreted as engagement of the touchscreen display 16 and/or tobe interpreted as input to the image capture device may be increasedcompared to when the image capture device is not in water. For example,longer press(es) of the touchscreen display 16 may be needed to provideuser input when the image capture device is under water.

Implementations of the disclosure may be made in hardware, firmware,software, or any suitable combination thereof. Aspects of the disclosuremay be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium,which may be read and executed by one or more processors. Amachine-readable medium may include any mechanism for storing ortransmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., acomputing device). For example, a tangible (non-transitory)machine-readable storage medium may include read-only memory, randomaccess memory, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flashmemory devices, and others, and a machine-readable transmission mediamay include forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infraredsignals, digital signals, and others. Firmware, software, routines, orinstructions may be described herein in terms of specific exemplaryaspects and implementations of the disclosure, and performing certainactions.

In some implementations, some or all of the functionalities attributedherein to the system 10 may be provided by external resources notincluded in the system 10. External resources may include hosts/sourcesof information, computing, and/or processing and/or other providers ofinformation, computing, and/or processing outside of the system 10.

Although the processor 11, the electronic storage 13, the image sensor15, and the touchscreen display 16 are shown to be connected to theinterface 12 in FIG. 1 , any communication medium may be used tofacilitate interaction between any components of the system 10. One ormore components of the system 10 may communicate with each other throughhard-wired communication, wireless communication, or both. For example,one or more components of the system 10 may communicate with each otherthrough a network. For example, the processor 11 may wirelesslycommunicate with the electronic storage 13. By way of non-limitingexample, wireless communication may include one or more of radiocommunication, Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, cellularcommunication, infrared communication, or other wireless communication.Other types of communications are contemplated by the presentdisclosure.

Although the processor 11 is shown in FIG. 1 as a single entity, this isfor illustrative purposes only. In some implementations, the processor11 may comprise a plurality of processing units. These processing unitsmay be physically located within the same device, or the processor 11may represent processing functionality of a plurality of devicesoperating in coordination. The processor 11 may be configured to executeone or more components by software; hardware; firmware; some combinationof software, hardware, and/or firmware; and/or other mechanisms forconfiguring processing capabilities on the processor 11.

It should be appreciated that although computer components areillustrated in FIG. 1 as being co-located within a single processingunit, in implementations in which processor 11 comprises multipleprocessing units, one or more of computer program components may belocated remotely from the other computer program components.

While computer program components are described herein as beingimplemented via processor 11 through machine-readable instructions 100,this is merely for ease of reference and is not meant to be limiting. Insome implementations, one or more functions of computer programcomponents described herein may be implemented via hardware (e.g.,dedicated chip, field-programmable gate array) rather than software. Oneor more functions of computer program components described herein may besoftware-implemented, hardware-implemented, or software andhardware-implemented.

The description of the functionality provided by the different computerprogram components described herein is for illustrative purposes, and isnot intended to be limiting, as any of computer program components mayprovide more or less functionality than is described. For example, oneor more of computer program components may be eliminated, and some orall of its functionality may be provided by other computer programcomponents. As another example, processor 11 may be configured toexecute one or more additional computer program components that mayperform some or all of the functionality attributed to one or more ofcomputer program components described herein.

The electronic storage media of the electronic storage 13 may beprovided integrally (i.e., substantially non-removable) with one or morecomponents of the system 10 and/or as removable storage that isconnectable to one or more components of the system 10 via, for example,a port (e.g., a USB port, a Firewire port, etc.) or a drive (e.g., adisk drive, etc.). The electronic storage 13 may include one or more ofoptically readable storage media (e.g., optical disks, etc.),magnetically readable storage media (e.g., magnetic tape, magnetic harddrive, floppy drive, etc.), electrical charge-based storage media (e.g.,EPROM, EEPROM, RAM, etc.), solid-state storage media (e.g., flash drive,etc.), and/or other electronically readable storage media. Theelectronic storage 13 may be a separate component within the system 10,or the electronic storage 13 may be provided integrally with one or moreother components of the system 10 (e.g., the processor 11). Although theelectronic storage 13 is shown in FIG. 1 as a single entity, this is forillustrative purposes only. In some implementations, the electronicstorage 13 may comprise a plurality of storage units. These storageunits may be physically located within the same device, or theelectronic storage 13 may represent storage functionality of a pluralityof devices operating in coordination.

FIG. 2 illustrates method 200 for automatically controlling imagecapture device display operation underwater. The operations of method200 presented below are intended to be illustrative. In someimplementations, method 200 may be accomplished with one or moreadditional operations not described, and/or without one or more of theoperations discussed. In some implementations, two or more of theoperations may occur simultaneously.

In some implementations, method 200 may be implemented in one or moreprocessing devices (e.g., a digital processor, an analog processor, adigital circuit designed to process information, a central processingunit, a graphics processing unit, a microcontroller, an analog circuitdesigned to process information, a state machine, and/or othermechanisms for electronically processing information). The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices executing some or allof the operation of method 200 in response to instructions storedelectronically on one or more electronic storage media. The one or moreprocessing devices may include one or more devices configured throughhardware, firmware, and/or software to be specifically designed forexecution of one or more of the operations of method 200.

Referring to FIG. 2 and method 200, an image capture device may includea housing. The housing may carry one or more of an image sensor, anoptical element, a touchscreen display, and/or other components. Theoptical element may guide light within a field of view to the imagesensor. The image sensor may generate a visual output signal conveyingvisual information defining visual content based on light that becomesincident thereon. The touchscreen display may be configured to receiveuser input via a user's engagement with the touchscreen display.

At operation 201, the visual content may be captured during a captureduration. In some implementations, operation 201 may be performed by aprocessor component the same as or similar to the capture component 102(Shown in FIG. 1 and described herein).

At operation 202, whether the image capture device is under water duringthe capture duration may be determined based on analysis of the visualcontent and/or other information. In some implementations, operation 202may be performed by a processor component the same as or similar to theunderwater component 104 (Shown in FIG. 1 and described herein).

At operation 203, responsive to determination that the image capturedevice is under water during the capture duration, operation of theimage capture device with respect to the touchscreen display may bechanged. In some implementations, operation 203 may be performed by aprocessor component the same as or similar to the operation component106 (Shown in FIG. 1 and described herein).

Although the system(s) and/or method(s) of this disclosure have beendescribed in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what iscurrently considered to be the most practical and preferredimplementations, it is to be understood that such detail is solely forthat purpose and that the disclosure is not limited to the disclosedimplementations, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present disclosure contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any implementation can be combined with one or morefeatures of any other implementation.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image capture device for changing operationunderwater, the image capture device comprising: a housing; an imagesensor carried by the housing and configured to generate a visual outputsignal conveying visual information based on light that becomes incidentthereon, the visual information defining visual content; an opticalelement carried by the housing and configured to guide light within afield of view to the image sensor; a touchscreen display carried by thehousing and configured to receive input to the image capture device; andone or more physical processors configured by machine-readableinstructions to: determine whether the image capture device is underwater; and responsive to determination that the image capture device isunder water, change functionality of the touchscreen display, whereinthe change in the functionality of the touchscreen display preventschange in operation of the image capture device via interaction with thetouchscreen display.
 2. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein thechange in the functionality of the touchscreen display includesdeactivation of the touchscreen display.
 3. The image capture device ofclaim 2, wherein the deactivation of the touchscreen display includesthe touchscreen display being turned off.
 4. The image capture device ofclaim 2, wherein the deactivation of the touchscreen display includesthe touchscreen display being locked and not registering the interactionwith the touchscreen display.
 5. The image capture device of claim 1,wherein the change in the functionality of the touchscreen displaypreventing change in operation of the image capture device via theinteraction with the touchscreen display includes the change in thefunctionality of the touchscreen display preventing change in mode ofthe image capture device via the interaction with the touchscreendisplay.
 6. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein the change inthe functionality of the touchscreen display preventing change inoperation of the image capture device via the interaction with thetouchscreen display includes the change in the functionality of thetouchscreen display preventing change in setting of the image capturedevice via the interaction with the touchscreen display.
 7. The imagecapture device of claim 1, wherein the change in the functionality ofthe touchscreen display preventing change in operation of the imagecapture device via the interaction with the touchscreen display includesthe change in the functionality of the touchscreen display preventingstart or stop of visual content capture by the image capture device viathe interaction with the touchscreen display.
 8. The image capturedevice of claim 1, wherein the determination of whether the imagecapture device is under water is performed based on analysis of colorcomponents in the visual content, the analysis of the color componentsin the visual content including comparison of a green component in thevisual content to a blue component in the visual content and comparisonof the green component in the visual content to a red component in thevisual content.
 9. The image capture device of claim 1, wherein thedetermination of whether the image capture device is under water isperformed based on scene classification to determine whether the visualcontent includes depiction of an underwater scene.
 10. A method forchanging image capture device operation underwater, the method performedby an image capture device including one or more processors, an imagesensor, an optical element, and a touchscreen display, the image sensorconfigured to generate a visual output signal conveying visualinformation based on light that becomes incident thereon, the visualinformation defining visual content, the optical element configured toguide light within a field of view to the image sensor, the touchscreendisplay configured to receive input to the image capture device, themethod comprising: determining whether the image capture device is underwater; and responsive to determination that the image capture device isunder water, changing functionality of the touchscreen display, whereinthe change in the functionality of the touchscreen display preventschange in operation of the image capture device via interaction with thetouchscreen display.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the change inthe functionality of the touchscreen display includes deactivation ofthe touchscreen display.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein thedeactivation of the touchscreen display includes the touchscreen displaybeing turned off.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the deactivationof the touchscreen display includes the touchscreen display being lockedand not registering the interaction with the touchscreen display. 14.The method of claim 10, wherein the change in the functionality of thetouchscreen display preventing change in operation of the image capturedevice via the interaction with the touchscreen display includes thechange in the functionality of the touchscreen display preventing changein mode of the image capture device via the interaction with thetouchscreen display.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the change inthe functionality of the touchscreen display preventing change inoperation of the image capture device via the interaction with thetouchscreen display includes the change in the functionality of thetouchscreen display preventing change in setting of the image capturedevice via the interaction with the touchscreen display.
 16. The methodof claim 10, wherein the change in the functionality of the touchscreendisplay preventing change in operation of the image capture device viathe interaction with the touchscreen display includes the change in thefunctionality of the touchscreen display preventing start or stop ofvisual content capture by the image capture device via the interactionwith the touchscreen display.
 17. The method of claim 10, wherein thedetermination of whether the image capture device is under water isperformed based on analysis of color components in the visual content,the analysis of the color components in the visual content includingcomparison of a green component in the visual content to a bluecomponent in the visual content and comparison of the green component inthe visual content to a red component in the visual content.
 18. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the determination of whether the imagecapture device is under water is performed based on scene classificationto determine whether the visual content includes depiction of anunderwater scene.
 19. An image capture device for changing operationunderwater, the image capture device comprising: a housing; an imagesensor carried by the housing and configured to generate a visual outputsignal conveying visual information based on light that becomes incidentthereon, the visual information defining visual content; an opticalelement carried by the housing and configured to guide light within afield of view to the image sensor; a touchscreen display carried by thehousing and configured to receive input to the image capture device; andone or more physical processors configured by machine-readableinstructions to: determine whether the image capture device is underwater; responsive to determination that the image capture device isunder water, change functionality of the touchscreen display, whereinthe change in the functionality of the touchscreen display preventschange in operation of the image capture device via interaction with thetouchscreen display; and responsive to determination that the imagecapture device is no longer under water, reverse the change to thefunctionality of the touchscreen display.
 20. The image capture deviceof claim 19, wherein the change in the functionality of the touchscreendisplay preventing change in operation of the image capture device viathe interaction with the touchscreen display includes the change in thefunctionality of the touchscreen display preventing change in mode orsetting of the image capture device via the interaction with thetouchscreen display.